Wednesday, December 21, 2011

OK, so Judgment Day has came and went here in the state capitol. We all know what happened by now. There is no reason to get back into why we're here again (and we won’t). So let’s take a look at the punishment handed down by the NCAA and debate whether it is acceptable or not (no way in Hell that this ends well and is universally agreed upon).

*The NCAA took two months longer than promised to rule on this. Brady lamented on this yesterday and it’s a good point: WTF took so damn long? I love how the NCAA has a book of rules longer than Jabar Gaffney’s dong (apparently TV crews are told not to shoot the Redskins receiver below the waist…true story!) yet no one has any fucking clue about their punishment procedures. It shouldn’t this difficult. If you get slapped with a Failure to Monitor or an LoIC, BAM, you should know EXACTLY what it coming up your dirt road. It shouldn't be this big mystery.

*I will forever feel like “self-punishment” is an insult. If I robbed a bank, felt guilty, turned myself in, and said “probation for two years is sufficient”, I don’t think that that would fly. I don’t like the idea of schools trying to beat the system (although I understand why they do it). I'm glad to see that it backfired in Mean Gene's face.

*On to the rulings themselves, an extra year of probation was added. I don’t even remember how long they put themselves on probation in the first place but I think that this might have some teeth. Probation sounds wussy and girly and whatnot, but it pretty much means that Ohio State has to live a straight edge lifestyle for the next few years and in the shady world of college football, that could potentially be an issue. Because as Bobby “The Brain” Heenan says, “if you ain’t cheatin’, you ain’t tryin’”.

*Jim Tressel was presented with a “show-cause” that pretty much bans him from college sports for the next five years. Yeah, he’s never going to coach again. This punishment is actually quite fitting. He shouldn't be allowed to coach again.

*Instead of five scholarships lost over the next three seasons, they bumped it up to 9. Jesus Christ, what a worthless “punishment”. They get 85 (which is 15-20 too many any way), they aren’t going to miss three per year until the end of the 2014 season. OH NO! HOW CAN WE COMPETE WITH ONLY 82 GUYS GETTING FREE RIDES??? ZOMG! Fucking waste of time…either make it hurt (like say 30 over the next 3 years) or don’t do it at all. This will have no impact on anything ever.

*The 2012 Bowl Ban is a pleasant surprise though. I don’t think anyone saw this coming, I know that ol’ Gene Smiff didn’t, and I’d bet that Urban didn’t either. It really makes the decision to go to one this year even more retarded. I am personally treating the Urban Meyer-to-OSU experiment like I treat LeBron James now. Every year that they don’t win a national title is a great season to me. Well, I already know that 2012 is a failure for Ohio (my opinion, don’t care about yours) and that’s alright. No Big Ten title in 2012, too? Boom-dizzle! But missing one bowl game for the first time in over a decade...honestly, it isn't THAT big of a deal.

*At least Gene Smith and Gordon Gee both got positive performance reviews from this past year. Well deserved for these two titans in the field of fucktardery.

In the end though, none of this punishment really matters. I think that we all sort of saw this coming over the past few months. The only thing that could truly hurt this annoying and fist-fucking program would be to kill it and that was never going to happen. Ohio will survive and somehow they got even better through all of this shit. And that really is the harsh reality of this seedy sport isn’t it?

If you make money and travel well, you can do whatever you want to and still come out smelling like roses (no pun intended until maybe 2013). Ohio still came out as winners from all of this bullshit. I wouldn’t be naïve enough to say that Ohio Football is untouchable, per se, but is seems pretty evident that it is bulletproof (lying and cheating blatantly won’t do it; probably something that is depraved like kiddie porn would though).

So we haters now are back to where we started. Not much has changed but at least we can get back to rooting against the Ohio Buckeyes just on the field as opposed to in the“court room”. In conclusion, the punishment was more severe than I thought it would be, but that doesn’t mean that I feel like justice was served. Gene and Gordon should still be sent packing. What came down and those two getting fired would be acceptable to me but until that happens, I refuse to believe that "justice was served".

I think that most of the haters of the world got caught up in the madness that such a traditional power of a football program felt it necessary to lie and cheat to maintain it's dominance. That was disappointing to see, but at the same time, those offending parties are pretty much all gone now and punishing those that remain is pretty unfair (it's unfair everywhere when this crap happens). So I begrudgingly accept the ruling and look forward to moving on (as we all should). After all, we are less than 9 months away from the Urban Meyer Era starting 0-1...

Just started reading your post and I'm gonna break it down via your bullet-points.

*Grumpy....that TP news is old news. They announced they were doing that back in May, because he refused to interview with the NCAA (thankfully).

*I agree that it took too long, but OSU is also to blame for this. We kept giving them new shit to investigate/have hearings about.

I do not agree with you that there should be set charges for FTM and LOIC, because it could involve so many things. Michigan got FTM for barely practicing too much. UNC got FTM for academic fraud and agents (they gonna get fucked). There are different penalties for different wrongs.

*I don't see the point of self-punishment either, unless it's for the NCAA to gauge just how sorry you are for your transgressions. For instance, I don't think USC really self-punished at all...the NCAA did not like this.

*Three years probation...ain't worried about that.

*I actually think a university would be able to take on Tressel pretty easily. In his first season he's banned for five games and a bowl game. From that point they may take some scholarships away from you....maybe....but, I think it'd be worth it for some schools to take that on. I think it's more of a label/stigma to hiring a coach currently under that, but it wouldn't be too difficult to work around and it would be worth it with how many shitty coaches are out there. I don't think he will coach in college again though...maybe the Colts next year.

*Completely agree on the 9 scholarships. OSU basically lived at 82 every year under Tressel...he was ALWAYS awarding a few walk-ons each year with full rides. It won't matter oen bit.

*I don't like that we can't play in the B1G Championship Game more than we can't go to a bowl. That's disappointing that it won't be until Year 3 that we can play in that fucker. I do think this takes some of the pressure off of Urban in Year 1. It would also be fun to beat Michigan this year...then have them go to the big ten championship game and not be able to get a rematch. Oh and ....AP NATIONAL CHAMPIONS HERE WE COME.

The most important thing that comes out of this for me is that any recruiting influence Meyer believed he had in Florida, Atlanta, and parts of Louisiana/S.Carolina is 100% gone for the next two years.

Ohio State better prepare for a tidal wave of negative recruiting when they try to travel south for players.

One of the unspoken advantages of hiring Meyer was that he had inroads with alot of the power Highschools in the south and could pull 5-10 kids per year to Columbus. Those inroads are effectively closed till 2013-2014, an eternity in recruiting.

If Drew had no real issue with my post about Ohio Football then I must be doing something right.

As far as my call on a defined punishment for FTM and LoIC, then don't slap it on a school for something dumb like long practice sessions then. Use the tag when it actually applies. I'm just saying that if everyone knows that FTM equals one year bowl ban and LoIC equals 2, at least you know what you're getting into.

Dawg, I unfortunately disagree. One year of no Gator Bowl is not going to matter to kids who probably aren't going to play as freshman anyway. But I have no doubt that the scumbags of the south will try and use this against The Walking Penis.

There is two months left to recruit a class that gets to miss one bowl game (which isn't even bad for Freshmen since most of the time they don't have big roles). After that there is nothing keeping Urban from recruiting.

MUDawg...that may be the dumbest post anyone has written here in months, because it doesn't even make sense.

Drew - I'm not even trying to be combative in this post, but lets try and look at the typical elite D1 Football player.

1. Likely an average student at best.2. Parents likely not the most educated or well off.3. High percentage chance that the young man comes from a one parent or non-traditional family (raised by grandparents...etc).

Having said that, its highly likely they'll be influenced by negative recruiting. You can't really think these kids will have the same reasoning as you or I, logical, college educated adults. They are going to hear and read about this bevvy of bad press for years and it will influence them.

Hypothetically, Meyer and Saban are going for the same 4 star running back out of Memphis.You don't think Saban is going to use the probation card? Of course he will! And then Urb will have to explain that it isn't that big of a deal and that controls are now in place to ensure it doesn't happen...yada yada yada.

It is fair to say that this type of negative recruiting is going to hit Ohio State for a few years. That's all I'm saying.The coaching staff had better prepare to counter it.

Are you going to lose 10-20 kids because of it, absolutely not!Could you lose 3-6 that you otherwise would have landed? Yes.

I can see where Dawg is coming from, but I really don't think it's going to have quite the impact as he thinks. I mean, Meyer certainly isn't going to lose any recruits he's already locked down for this year and most kids coming in next year aren't going to play anyway no matter where they go. So most of them probably won't care about not being eligible for bowls they were never going to play in to begin with.

What I can see coaches doing is pointing to the character issues of players OSU/Meyer has a history of bringing in and point to the probation OSU is currently on. Make them think whether or not they want to risk further sanctions and their future on the character of some shit head from the ghetto of Akron they've never met. Probably won't matter as much either, I just see that as a more effective tool.

MUDawg...so the only thing you are basing this on is coaches throwing the probation card out for negative recruiting? Sorry...don't see that being an issue. Alabama won a national championship while on probation recently.

G$....black or he knows too much. I bet within a couple of months he "retires" and they pay him nicely to walk away.

I think the one year ban is deserved. The thing that really pisses me off is that gene had an opportunity to self impose the ban this year! If he even thought there was a 5% chance that we'd get banned, you self impose when you're 6-4. Now we get to hear about the bowl ban every game next year. Well done, gene, well done.

Mudawg- urban has been able to dominate recruiting in 3 weeks at osu while not knowing what the sanctions were going to be. Next years recruiting class won't miss a bowl. I think you're over thinking this.

What a huge compliment to say any non championship season is a failure for osu. That statement puts osu in the same tier as the Yankees and lakers.

I hope a lot of the seniors for next year who weren't going to play much transfer. That will open some schollys and potentially allow osu to use up more than 3 blanks for next year.

I guess so, at least with lofty expectations. Definitely not with on-field glory. The Yankees and Lakers laugh at one title in 50 years. You'll soon find out that Big Ten titles and Rose Bowls aren't enough anymore and it makes things less fun to be a fan.

I do not think this will have much effect on recruiting. Most experts and media folks agree. The class of 2012 likely does not care, because half would redshirt and the rest would play sparingly. The classs of 2013 will be unaffected.

I hate Gene Smiff for this. Even though I did not anticipate a bowl ban, I thought all along that we should have self-imposed this year and do what seemed like overpunishment at the time. It would have been a trivial concession that would have carried a lot of weight and preserved the 2012 season. In one month Ohio State would have been done with the vast majority of its punishment. Now we must wait until January of 2013.

Another thing that pisses me off is that this ruling is in contradiction of precedence. No school ever recieved a bowl ban with failure to monitor alone. It always took LOIC. It appears that, the NCAA is trying to send a message. To the general public, the NCAA is appearing to be taking a strong stance. Unfortunately, to unversity administrations, the only message being sent is to never self-report. If you do, it likely will not make a damn bit of difference, so lawyer up and make the NCAA do their damn job.

Also, I agree with Dut. This could partly help OSU for 2013. Players entering their last year of eligibility can transfer without penalty. This means a lot of 2 deep positions that are filled with seniors may be freeing up and many of the talented freshman and sophomores will be able to step-up and gain experience in their place. Even if you only look at how many young players played in 2011, it appears OSU will have a very experienced and talented team for 2013. Add in another group that will play in 2012 that otherwise would not have and you have a pretty formidable team for the first unhandicapped year in the Urban Meyer era.

I do agree that "self-punishment" is usually pretty weak but I thought Ohio St. did a pretty good job before the ruling came out. They vacated the entire 2010 season including their ONLY bowl win over an SEC opponent and fired their coach. They banned Pryor from stepping on the campus, took away scholarships from themselves and put the school on 2 years probation. What the fuck else can you do? The additional bowl ban was fucking crazy in this instance. The punishment far outweighs the crime.

That being said, Gene Smith is a retard. If he wouldn't have insisted that no bowl ban was coming for the past 5 months, the university could have skipped this meaningless Gator Bowl as another sign of contrition and probably avoided the 2012 ban. Buckeye fans everywhere were pleading to self-impose that bowl ban after our 2nd loss this season. Nobody would have cared since this was a lost year anyway. For that reason alone, Smiff should be sent packing.

Finally, if this is the precedent that has been set, I expect Miami (FL) to pretty much lose their entire program and for Auburn to be stripped of their National title. EVERY small story from the Ohio St. "scandal" was discussed ad nauseum. Has anyone heard one fucking peep about the Miami story? That juicy scoop had drugs, abortions, cash payments from boosters totalling in the hundreds of thousands and it spanned like a decade. How is that not the #1 story? How does Ohio St. get dragged through the mud constantly while those fucking thugs in South Beach get off with nothing? Is this even real life? Then there was Cam Newton. Nuff said.

Punishment doesn't fit the crime, huh? FTM and repeat offenders don't just get to call their own shot.

Can we all agree that it could have (and probably should have) been HARSHer (remember that post?)? In the grand scheme of things, this is not a big deal. So you go one year without picking the Buckeyes for 35 on your bowl pools, DEAL WITH IT says Bo Ryan.

Yes Penn St. will forever be the #1 story. I got caught up in the moment and forgot about that little boy-fucker story.

Do you really think that tattoos for memorabilia and a couple hundred bucks is worth this punishment G$?

I think any school in the country could be labeled as "repeat offenders". Every football program has a list of various violations they report every year. There is not one school out there that doesn't have blood on its' hands. The NCAA is just trying to flex it's muscles in an effort to make an example out of OSU. I thinks thats bullshit.

I guess in the grand scheme of things, this isn't the worst punishment of all time. OSU can still win an AP title which is nice but it won't be the same. It really sucks that OSU is basically playing a meaningless season next year. I feel bad for the fans and the players who didn't have a damn thing to do with this.

I disagree, Drew. Urban Meyer has a history of players leaving in his first year at every location. This all happens without an NCAA exception that will allow certain players to transfer without sitting out. I think a lot of players will experience culture shock and transfer. A lot of others may simply look at it as a better opportunity to play.

On the recruiting issue, I don't think this ban makes a difference at all. All four blue-chippers that gave verbals to Urban over the past 3 weeks have remained buckeyes. I have no doubt they will be wearing Scarlet and Gray next season.

A one year bowl ban isn't going to sway that many recruits. All these dudes want to go pro. That is a fact. Going to Ohio State gives you a great opportunity to make that dream a reality.

Brady, I said from the beginning that arguing about what the players did is meaningless because no one cares. They broke the rules and they got popped. Nuff said.

When you consider that the head coach played ineligible players for a full season, lied about it, and then the Bobby DeGeronimo stuff broke, expecting anything less than what you got is naive and short-sighted.

If you made it all the way to your Senior year, you are likely a Buckeye through and through. No one is leaving.

"How does Ohio St. get dragged through the mud constantly while those fucking thugs in South Beach get off with nothing?"

I really don't know what you're bitching about. You guys fucking got off easy. OH NO!!! Three scholarships lost per year and you can't play in the Outback bowl next year!! OSU is the victim here...what an unspeakable crime that has been committed!! Just be glad you aren't USC you fuckin baby.

I think what Brady is saying is that we haven't heard a peep about the Miami situation in 3 months, but we had ESPN and Sports Illustrated reporters crawling up our ass from last December until basically now. It appears that the Miami situation is a whole lot more serious than what went on here.

Before you throw your bloody tampon at me Iceman, I'm not saying that we didn't get what we deserve. I'm just saying that the reporting on the two situations has been vastly different for some reason.

"Some reason" = ESPN is pissed that the Big Ten Network is a cash cow that they are missing out on and by taking it's #1 program down (or at least trying to), it is giving BTN a big, vindictive fuck you. They have almost zero financial reason to pump up and protect Big Ten schools like they do with the SEC.

And while the details at Miami are as juicy as the dump that I'm on my way to take, The U has been irrelevant for a decade now. Trying to destroy a BCS on the reg program is big business. I should know being the credible media member that I am.

Considering that the world is going to end exactly one year from today, OSU may never get to play in another BCS game. THAT is what pisses me off Ice. Outback Bowl dude? Seriously? Don't let being a traitor to your state cloud your football judgement.

Cloud my football judgement?? Fuckin please. How many OSU fans picked the Buckeyes to finish in the top 10 and win the Big 10 before this season started? I would guess in the 90th percentile. You're the LAST person that should be lecturing me about cloudy anything. Outback bowl. Mark it, since I think we already established I am an ELITE predictor of the future after I called an OSU bowl ban months ago.

Would putting a self imposed bowl ban on this years season AFTER losing a few games really have changed this outcome? Wouldn't it be fairly obvious that it was a 'Well we aren't going to a BCS/B10 title game this year, hopefully the NCAA doesn't pay attention to the stakes here and, oh yeah were are also gonna ban ourselves from a BOWL this year!'. I doubt we were hearing the OSU fans wanting to impose a bowl ban on this season when there was a slight chance they may still compete for a B10 title? At least not from my neck of the woods.

JSaul, haven't heard from you in awhile and that's a damn shame when you drop truth hammers like that. Even an organization as dumb as the NCAA would be able to see through a self-ban just because the BCS was not happening this year. If anything, it would have made Mean BY GOD Gene look more arrogant.